WHERE I WENT IN 2019

When 2019 arrived, I didn’t have any plans at all.  There were no trips booked and an endless stream of bucket list destinations that I wanted to visit. It’s the same every year, the traveller in me panics that I haven’t got any plans for the year and then it always turns out okay. I believe 2020 will be the same! Am I having a panic though? Of course!

I spent a lot of time growing in 2019 and it became life changing. I jumped in the deep end a lot, despite how scared or uncomfortable I was. As a result of a roller coaster year, I thought it could be fun to do a recap post! I’ve missed out the months I didn’t travel, because I was definitely home in my PJ’s. I’ve done a lot of travelling in 2019, so let’s get to it! (Please note that all links below will open in a new tab so you won’t lose your place!)

February

Arundel 
(Not to be confused with Anna and Elsa’s home.)
The first weekend of February saw my first trip of the year. I fell head over heels for Arundel. Located in West Sussex, this quirky little castle town was beautiful to visit. As it was off season, we managed to get a room for cheap with a castle view. Unfortunately, the castle is closed for winter so we couldn’t go in, but worth a weekend visit for sure! You can read about my time > here < 

March

March always ends up being my biggest travel month for some reason! I guess it’s still technically “off peak” but a little bit warm. March 2019 took me on a solo trip to Lisbon, A day trip to Milan and a Mystery Destination (click here to read) trip to Warsaw (click here to read!) which was a surprise!  I had no idea I was heading there until I got to the airport. My Mum is a little like me, has so much choice and not sure where to go, so we took a leap in the dark and ended up there! She loved it, I loved it!

Lisbon was incredible and life changing to me! I’ve not covered specifically Lisbon on this blog yet, on how or why, but I have done a blog post on Belem, which I visited while there. (You can read that here too – includes a free walking tour to do and map!)

I didn’t enjoy Milan much, I was only there for 8 hours anyway so I suppose I didn’t really give it a chance. I didn’t end up doing a lot anyway, so not really worth a post!

April

Vietnam 
Ho Chi Minh City > Hanoi 

Wow, what a trip. I decided on a whim, that I had enough of Europe for the time being and hopped on a plane to Vietnam. I joined a tour group in order to see as much as possible within 11 days. I didn’t really gel with my group to be honest. Truthfully though, I can’t even remember them much now, which is completely fine, because I was there for the destination anyway!

Back in Jan 2018 I went on a trip to Thailand (read it here) with a friend, but this was my first taste of SEA alone really. I’d arrived at 6am in Ho Chi Minh City feeling like a turtle with my bright red backpack. I was a target, I got taxi scammed (paid too much) but I also decided to call him out on it. I didn’t get my money back, but I felt better anyway. The trip was full of overnight trains, beautiful countryside and unforgettable moments for me. I’ve not written about all of Vietnam on the blog, but I do aim to at some stage. There is always the case of overwhelming you with one destination and I don’t want that! 

Here are some of my posts from my time there:

3 Quirky Cafes in Hanoi
A Guide To Sleeper Trains in Vietnam 
Thap Ba Spa Review
& An Introvert Guide to Group Travel 

June, July and August

My summer shenanigans usually begin in these months! I absolutely refuse to pay the airfare prices! They bump up the price of all the destinations and then they’ll be too busy to explore anyway. These are the 3 months when I get my partner to drive to several destinations in England, pitch up a tent and roam aimlessly. Good for the pocket, good for the soul! I was also invited to Central London to try out some menu items from Teatulia! Another little milestone for myself and this blog! Admittedly, in 2019 we didn’t camp much. Life got the better of us! But I hope to change that in 2020!

Here are a few blog posts that have included these trips:

Why Camping In England Is A Good Idea 
A Weekend In The Cotswolds 
A Bitesize Guide to Bath
Teatulia, Covent Garden Review 

September

A big month for me! (I feel like I’ve said this a lot) but this month I went to Disney World Florida by myself! I decided in May that I wanted to go alone. I had just two months to save save save as there was a July deadline. The hard work of saving was worth it, because my dreams really did come true. I’d been in the past, but I went with a toxic ex who actually made me cry a lot. So I wanted to go there and essentially rewrite all the memories with no one to tell me other wise! 100% worth it, and if you’re considering going alone… Do it! I also went to Canterbury for the weekend, which was beautiful.

Here are some of my posts (with more hopefully to come)

I Went To Disney World Florida Alone (includes a budget breakdown) 
Diary Of A Disney Snack-A-Holic 
Art of Animation Disney Hotel Review 

October

October took me to Stratford Upon Avon, where I lived my cat lady life to the max! Haha. Stratford is known for being William Shakespeare’s birth town, but the highlight for me was the cat cafe! That honestly made my entire month. I also took a day trip to Luxembourg. Luxembourg was one of those places that was advertised sometimes as super cheap to fly to but do-able in a day. I can confirm, it is! I’ve not written a post on Luxembourg just yet (I know, I owe you guys a lot of posts!) but I did write about my weekend in Stratford Upon Thames and you can read it > here <  

December

Best month ever! I was offered a collaboration with National Express!  (My post – click here) My biggest moment of the year. I took a trip to York with them (click here) which was on my list for a while! It was all very Harry Potter-ish and reignited my love for it even more! My partner and I then took a trip to Switzerland. Hopping on trains and more cable cars than my heart can take. We did it on a budget and I will be covering this in both blog posts and my journal section!

That’s all for my year in review. I hope you enjoyed it! 2019 just completely flew by and I can’t believe it’s January already! What were your highlights of 2019?